Authorities will activate a traffic contraflow system on Sunday on Route 27 to ease congestion during the final weekend of the school vacation period, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) announced.

The 2026 public school year will begin Monday, Feb. 23, for more than 1 million students enrolled in more than 5,000 public elementary and high schools nationwide.

The measure will be in effect Sunday, Feb. 22, when traffic typically increases as travelers move between the Central Valley and the Pacific Coast provinces.

Route 27, one of the country’s busiest highways, links San José with the Pacific provinces of Puntarenas and Guanacaste. Traffic volumes traditionally rise sharply during the last weekend of the vacation season as families return ahead of the new academic year.

To accommodate the heavy return traffic toward San José, officials will reverse traffic flow on a key stretch of the highway. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., all lanes between the Pozon toll station in Alajuela Province and the Ciudad Colón toll station in San José Province will be directed exclusively toward the capital.

Closures will begin one hour earlier at 1 p.m. and continue until 7 p.m., one hour after the contraflow ends. A maximum speed limit of 37 mph (60 kph) will be enforced during this period.

During contraflow hours, westbound drivers (from San José to the Pacific Coast) must use one of the following alternative routes:

• Route 1: From Río Segundo canton in Alajuela to Esparza canton in Puntarenas, rejoining Route 27.

• Route 3: Through Atenas canton to Orotina canton in Alajuela, reconnecting with Route 27 in Puntarenas.

• Route 239: From the Ciudad Colón district in San José to La Palma district, in the Parrita canton of Puntarenas.

Authorities advise drivers to plan ahead, remain alert to contraflow schedules, and drive with caution.

For real-time traffic information or roadside assistance, travelers may contact Globalvia, the company that manages Route 27, at (+506) 2588-4000.

Costa Rica recorded more than 500 traffic-related deaths in 2025, a 13.3% increase compared with fatalities reported in 2024.

In related developments, traffic fines were reduced by 0.22% this year, matching the same percentage decrease recorded in the Consumer Price Index.

The MOPT oversees Costa Rica’s road, port, and airport infrastructure, as well as national public transportation policy.

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